Avoiding Alpha by Aileen Erin

ALPHA
Avoiding Alpha by Aileen Erin
Publisher: Ink Monster, LLC
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (148 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Seventeen-year-old Tessa McCaide has come a long way since her abrupt entrance into the world of werewolves, but she still has just as far to go before she’s comfortable with turning full wolf. In the meantime, she’s avoiding the topic of shifting to four legs any way she can. Thankfully her mate, Dastien Laurent, is quite the distraction.

When she finds her best friend, Meredith, getting sick in the bathroom, Tessa knows something’s majorly wrong. Meredith was cursed years ago, and the dark magic kept her wolf dormant—only now the wolf is awake, and that same spell is killing her.

Tessa has no intention of sitting around while Meredith wastes away. Even if it means playing with magic she doesn’t understand, she’ll do anything to save Meredith’s life. Including bargaining with the local coven of witches and its crazed leader, whose only goal is getting Tessa to join the witchy ranks.
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Can Tessa save her friend without losing herself?

Some characters are created so well that they take on a life of their own in your mind. Reading about them seems seamless and easy because the author is at one with her craft. That’s how I feel after following another adventure with Tessa in Avoiding Alpha.

I can’t remember reading a first person point of view that seemed so natural. I’m not sure if it’s because the dialogue flows so well, the action and descriptions keep the plot moving or what but it’s extremely effective. The story is Tessa’s and after reading this second book, I going to say with assurance that this is not a standalone read. It most definitely picks up where the first one, Becoming Alpha leaves off, if a few days later. The transitions that Tessa goes through as she learns the ways of her wolf are fascinating and it’s like being on a roller coaster. Some days are good and some days are bad, really really bad. In this segment, Tessa is watching her best friend die and there doesn’t seem to be a cure. After reading the first book, I know that the heroine is stubborn, feisty, testy and is willing to go the extra mile to accomplish the impossible. That tendency to go where angels fear to tread is the heroine’s major personality flaw, and her strength.

In this installment, the villain is exposed. Yes, there was a villain in the first book but this one showcases a taint that more than probably touched Becoming Alpha and set up house in Avoiding Alpha. Battle lines are starting to be drawn and it’s muddled as to who is on which side. I’m thinking the setup is key for future stories. The author is painting a very intricate picture with depth, fascination and an overall story arc. It’s gripping.

I can see Tessa and Dastien’s relationship grow in this book. It’s getting stronger; they’re starting to work on the kinks that come with her being turned and falling in love in such a fast manner and they’re learning to trust. Although, like I mentioned before, Tessa has this impulsive streak and it causes some significant stress for the hero. Trust is hard to balance with a headstrong alpha female, but Tessa is learning; they both are.

If a reader is anything like me, at one point in the story I jumped to conclusions. I expected, based on how the story was being told, that I knew what Tessa was going to do and it was going to be a cliché. Wow, was I wrong. I’m thrilled to be wrong. What Ms. Erin had her heroine choose to do was a perfect balance. I had this feeling of dread and it was all for naught. Tessa might be young in age, but she’s got what it takes to take a stand and defend her friends, herself and her new family. Sometimes her thought process is older, wiser than I expect but I firmly believe that it stems from her life before becoming wolf and it’s believable. Her actions certainly earn her the title of heroine.

Avoiding Alpha has so much going for it. The secondary characters, the dialogue, the hints of intrigue and the drama of racing against time to save a friend and the meeting of family members on their home turf all come together to create an intense, entertaining and wonderful reading experience. Even though there is an overall story arc and romance weaving throughout this book, and the first in the series, each one so far has its own complete suspenseful conflict and resolution for a reader to enjoy. This series is shaping up to be an amazing adventure and if the next book is as good as this one, I’m going to put this author on my auto-buy list. Ms. Erin is a new favorite author.

Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin

ALPHA
Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin
Publisher: Ink Monster, LLC
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (276 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Tessa McCaide has a unique talent for getting into trouble. Then again, it isn’t easy for a girl with visions to ignore what she sees. Luckily Tessa and her family are leaving California and moving halfway across the country, giving her the perfect opportunity to leave her reputation as “Freaky Tessa” behind.

But Tessa doesn’t realize that kissing the wrong guy in her new Texas town could land her in far more trouble than she ever imagined. Like being forced to attend St. Ailbe’s Academy, a secret boarding school for werewolves.

Even if the wrong guy did accidentally turn her into one of “them” and doom her to attending the weirdest high school ever, Tessa can’t help her growing attraction to the mysterious Dastien Laurent.

The taste is also the same like buy cialis line http://www.devensec.com/sustain/eidis-updates/EID_Update_April_Aug_2013.pdf jellies which kids generally eat. However, remember the fact that viagra price canada works when you want it to work. The patent of buy cialis in australia has not lapsed and so, the medicine made of Sildenafil citrate and they are also delivering the medicine to their patients but it doesn’t mean that one can have a safe and helpful treatment. Action of mechanism: Kamagra is prepared with some very powerful chemicals and other ingredients that normalize male erectile visit that web-site canadian cialis no prescription functions. When vampires attack St. Alibe’s and her visions pinpoint an enemy in their midst, Tessa realizes that boy drama and her newfound canine tendencies might just be the least of her problems.

Team Jacob, move on over. There’s a better werewolf in town, Dastien, and he’s an alpha with a capital A. Tessa is the heroine who makes a lot of sense and I enjoyed watching her come to grips with the new crazy that has become her life.

The best thing I liked about Tessa is her personality. She’s always been an outsider because of her gifts and she’s been shunned, bullied and ignored. There’s a saying, “that which doesn’t kills us, makes us stronger” and it’s appropriate for Tessa. I totally understood her character. When a kid has to deal with bullies, and survives, there can be a strength that is born, a maturity that is beyond their chronological age because they survived adversity. They end up being able to handle the trash that life throws at them much better than their peers who have had it easy or were the “popular” crowd. When things don’t go their way, prima donnas lose their cool but survivors, like Tessa, shine and can handle crisis much better. That’s how I saw the heroine. Her tough life prepared her for not only the wild adversity and craziness of the world she was thrust into, but in the middle of all that insane change, she found her stride, friends and her first boyfriend. Good things can and do happen, but for Tessa, well, there’s a huge price to pay. She’s not the only one who pays it either.

For the first book in the series, it does a wonderful job of setting the stage, introducing the main characters and antagonists and the emotional hoops Tessa is going to face. The story is told in first person point of view which usually bugs me. Not this time. It’s perfect for the story and the author never slipped once. I loved the author’s voice, Tessa’s attitude, and the descriptions throughout the story were spot on. Once the heroine got bit and all the weird stuff started happening – the revelations, the action, the twists and turns she has to navigate as she is introduced to a new school and new classmates, the snide and jealous girls and the snarky comments – I could not stop reading. It was like a compulsion; I had to turn the pages, keep reading, find out what happens next, and what happened after that. It’s a very busy, action filled book mixed with realistic dialogue, secrets, intrigue and tension from the simmering violence. And through it all, I liked Tessa’s character more and more.

Dastien, he’s a different matter. I liked him and the author’s description of him was yummy. But he sure came across as a waffle – he couldn’t make up his mind. Thank goodness the author had him explaining why he was that way. The reason made me like him all the more. I liked when he growled and when he calmed Tessa down. He has a lot of wonderful characteristics that appealed to me.

As for kissing, well, there certainly was some and it briefly got a bit steamy–they are wolves after all. But that was as far as it went. I’d call it sweet, but with a hint of hot sauce.

The small core group of friends that Tessa gathers around her throughout the course of the story were awesome and a great supporting cast I liked them all. As for the bad guys, if I wasn’t supposed to like them, the author made sure I didn’t – but there is a twist at the end. Another reason why I liked Tessa so much.

Becoming Alpha is awesome. It’s way better than the book with the sparkly vampire guy and this heroine is spunky, extremely likable and has a good head on her shoulders. What’s even better, this is a series with a couple more books already out and a brand new one coming out later this year. I’m going to be budgeting to buy all of them. And, if they all are written as good as this one? Wow, am I going to be in for a treat. I can’t wait!!!